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ExploreWelcome to the Edition V Vol 5 of Mélange
June carries a different kind of energy. If May is about transition, June is about momentum. The hesitations of change begin to settle, and in their place comes movement—sometimes deliberate, sometimes chaotic, but undeniably forward. This month, Melange turns its focus to the idea of direction: not just where we are going, but how and why we choose our paths.
In a world that celebrates speed, choosing direction over haste can feel countercultural. Yet, it is precisely this pause to question our trajectory that gives our movement meaning.
In this issue, our contributors explore direction across personal, social, and creative landscapes. Some reflect on the pressure to always “move forward” and what it means to redefine progress on one’s own terms.
June also brings with it a heightened awareness of time. Half the year is nearly behind us, and with that comes an instinct to measure, evaluate, and sometimes judge our own journeys. Have we done enough? Are we where we thought we would be? These questions are natural, but they can also be limiting if they trap us in comparison rather than reflection. Direction is personal; it cannot be meaningfully measured against someone else’s map.
As always, Melange thrives on diversity of thought. This issue does not offer a single answer to the question of direction, nor does it attempt to. Instead, it presents a spectrum of perspectives—some converging, some diverging—all contributing to a richer, more nuanced conversation.
As you engage with this edition, we invite you to consider your own sense of direction. Not in terms of rigid goals, but in terms of intention. What feels aligned? What feels necessary? And perhaps most importantly, what feels true to you?
Movement is inevitable. Direction is a choice.
Explore the latest reflections and literary works in this volume.
Welcome to the Edition V Vol 4 of Mélange
There are moments in the cultural calendar that do not demand celebration, but reflection. The 2nd of May is one such moment—a quiet invitation to revisit the idea of seeing, through the legacy of Satyajit Ray.
In a time when expression has become effortless and instantaneous, the discipline of thought has, perhaps, receded into the background. We live in an age where images are abundant, narratives are continuous, and yet meaning often remains elusive. It is in this context that Ray’s legacy acquires renewed relevance—not as memory, but as method.
What distinguished him was not merely his mastery over craft, but his restraint within it. His work did not seek to assert; it sought to unfold. There was an inherent respect for the intelligence of the viewer, an understanding that the role of the creator is not to dictate interpretation, but to enable it.
Today, the dynamics of storytelling have undergone a profound transformation. Technology has democratized creation, platforms have amplified reach, and audiences have become participants in the narrative process. Yet, this expansion has also introduced a subtle paradox—the more we produce, the less we pause.
In such a landscape, the question is no longer about the availability of voices, but about the clarity of those voices. What are we choosing to express? And equally important—what are we choosing to overlook?
This edition of Mélange emerges within this tension between abundance and attention. It brings together voices that, in their own distinct ways, attempt to engage with this complexity—through reflection, imagination, and lived experience. Each piece is not merely an act of writing, but an attempt to understand.
If there is a thread that binds this edition, it is perhaps this: the pursuit of authenticity in an age of acceleration.
Ray’s relevance today lies not in revisiting his works as artefacts, but in internalizing the values that shaped them—clarity of thought, integrity of expression, and a deep sensitivity to the human condition. These are not attributes confined to cinema; they are foundational to all meaningful creation.
As we present this edition, we do so with the awareness that Mélange is not just a collection of writings, but a shared space of engagement. A space where ideas are not hurried, where perspectives are not imposed, and where expression retains its depth.
In remembering Ray, we are reminded of a simple yet demanding principle—that true creation begins not with what we wish to show, but with how deeply we are willing to see.
Explore the latest reflections and literary works in this volume.
Welcome to the Edition V Vol 3 of Mélange
I settled with a friend now, a long distant, a long time travelled friend. Though I was a bit worried if I lose this friend of long time! Worried, because my habit of non speaking would increase for more days! If the habit of not speaking increases one more week, month or years!! One day increases for a long time and then forever. There is no control over our mind. Is there not? Who knows. When the conversation ended, I didn't know that it would ever happen again. My relationship with him was during that Santiniketan period. Now he is retired. So am I.
I have lived a significant time of life of failure rather than achievement. He was one year junior to me. But he gave eight papers together in M.A. And he ignored the frowns of all the professors of the economics department and got first class at one go. I passed the previous year. After a lot of effort, I somehow managed to get 50 percent. This number fallacy had made me a "choro ki barat". Then I got a radio job. My world opened up. Now I don't suffer from depression anymore. The horizon has been busy with work, and it was nonetheless charismatic.
Opined with my new ego, the writings he sends now are not as active as I hope, so a veil has been created with him.
My wife looked to my apathy to him from a distance and today morning advised me why you are so stoic with him please patch up. I spoke like a loyal husband, the old warmth returned.
After that drama, I started crying and I have to go to his house today. If I don't go there is no freedom. My wife said that I have to do a lot of work. I am ashamed to hear that! It was a bit dramatic, now I'm not ashamed to admit it. We are inseparable. A strange example of the variety of marriages.
I am living with all this. We do a deep study of how a friend will be, how a wife will be, but is it reciprocate?
There is a chip of thought in my mind about how he will be when I die. Jealousy hides much more than the uncertainty. I shall die and he will be very overzealous. The crooked path of the mind is created without my knowledge.
The strange motion of the mind is in this number of Melange in the Mahabharat story, written by Pinakpani Bharadwaj. In addition, Anil Bhattacharya has told with his poetic power that Goa's women's strength has tied us in a strange harmony, and there is also a sweet writing by Seema Chaudhry. Of course another Chowdhuri is here with his intellectual vibe, though in Bengali, Arijit Chowdhuri. Overall the Melange is substantially rich this time. Your cooperation is desired.
Explore the latest reflections and literary works in this volume.
Welcome to the Edition V Vol 2 of Mélange
Bengali Language: The Future of Language
There is nothing to be alarmed in the direction the Bengali language is moving now. The language is a flowing river. There are many curiosities, some questions, and immense possibilities in the bends of the river.
It still has these three characteristics in the Bengali language,and it has not died. It has been measured in many ways on the geo-political scales, it has also had to bear the ridicule of being the language of this country, the language of the other country. Nowadays, the Bengali language is very popular, but very clumsy.One more thing like that, if there is any superhero in language, it is the Bengali.
If you can't pronounce Baliganjio diction of Kolkata, it is not the proper Bengali. There is a lot of this tradition practiced in Akashbani Kolkata. Who gave them this right to speak Bengali? I have done it, I have got genuine respect from the people of the remote areas. When the mother tongue is imitated as the language of the great aunt, the language is also insulted.And the rhythm of the language itself has also been hindered. To give space to the regional language, we have introduced programs in the department so that the regional people do not cringe during the broadcast.
Of course, this event follows the grammar and undisturbed help we got from some of our fellow juniors . They are the ones who have given courage, we have become very encouraging while matching with their inquisitive minds. So called traditional beliefs had hurt many people in the beginning who love Bengali in an ornamental atire;who is this kalapahar in this world, he does not obey any rules; Later, they are the ones who blessed. I can swear that the experiment that I did that day with language when I came to Doordarshan, but that experiment was simply clicked.
Once I met the then Director General of Bangladesh Betar in an international conference. I spoke to him. He was a little hesitant. I communicated with him my Bengali accent that was Baliganjio,under those notion. I understood, so when I tried to communicate with him in Bengali dylactic, his comfort came back, we also shared our faith and dignity. No one speaks English anymore, this is our rare achievement in an international conference.
There are many more reasons to be proud of Bengali language. You know nuances. Those who live outside the greater Bangabhoomi know what a language festival is! It may not mean anything to the dilapidated, multi-habited Bangabhoomi, but the proximity of the language in the diaspora warms the heart; Most importantly, the regional language of the other province also enriches our mind to speak Bengali more comfortably.This is one of the glory of language practice! People have lost their lives in many parts of the world for the love of language, and many people in this world have proven that love is a prerequisite for the pursuit of a good language.
Even in the Parliament, recently one can see MPs asking their questions in Bengali, lest we forget that Bengali is also the national language along with many languages. Hindi,on contrary is the official language for official work.
Along with Bengali, Konkani, Marathi or Kannada are also the national languages of the country.
This India is so diverse to see the union of diversity.
So let there be all languages;if we speak many languages then there is no harm. The primary purpose of any language—being a means of communication—ought to be the sole basis on which love for language should blossom.
We await your reading.
With warmth,
Arunava Roy
Editor, Mélange
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